cirebon cullinary 
Introduction
Sundanese is one of the traditional languages in Indonesia that is commonly used by the Sundanese tribe. This language can easily found in the West Java region. Cigugur Village is no exception, this village in Kuningan Regency also commonly uses Sundanese in communication. In Cigugur Village, using Sundanese in daily activities is like a cultural heritage passed down from generation to generation.
Even though people live in the same environment and speak the same language, vocabulary differences between the older and younger generations can be seen in Sundanese in Cigugur Village. In this study, I have interviewed 4 Cigugur residents and divided them into two categories. The first category is Cigugur residents who are 40-60 years old and will fall into the “Elderly People” category. Meanwhile, Cigugur residents who are 20-40 years old will fall into the category of “Younger People.”
Phonology
Phonology is a part of linguistics that studies the sounds in language. In Cigugur Village, people speak Sundanese with their distinctive features. Phonology helps us understand how they pronounce words, including the differences in sounds (phonemes) from the standard Sundanese form. Through phonology, we can find out why the way the Cigugur people speak can be different from other regions.
Final and initial consonants often undergo simplification in informal speech. For example, the negative word is pronounced as “henteu” by older speakers but shortened to “teu” by younger ones. This reflects a standard apheresis process, where the initial syllable /hɛn/ is omitted, indicating a phonological simplification without affecting the lexical meaning.
Another example is the shift from “tiup” (to blow) to “niup”, where the voiceless plosive /t/ is replaced by the nasal /n/. This reflects nasal substitution or nasal assimilation, often associated with rapid or casual speech, and is more prevalent among younger speakers in Cigugur.
Morphology
Morphology is a branch of linguistics that studies the shape and organization of words. In it, morphology looks at how words are formed, for example, by adding prefixes, suffixes, insertions, or double words. So, morphology helps us understand how a word can change shape or meaning, depending on the process of formation.
One of the most notable features is the presence or absence of prefixes in verbal constructions. Older speakers often use forms like “ngupahan” (to give), where “ng-” indicates active voice or actor focus. In contrast, younger speakers may prefer the simpler form “méré” (to give), which does not carry the same morphological structure. This reflects a tendency toward morphological simplification among the younger generation.
Similarly, the verb “ngambang” (to float) includes the prefix “ng-“, while younger speakers may substitute it with less affixed forms or even alternative lexical choices. This highlights a generational shift from complex derivational morphology to more analytic or simplified constructions.
Lexical
Lexical or vocabulary is the collection of words in a language. This study examines the choice of words used by speakers, the meaning of those words, and how they are used in various situations. With this analysis, we can find out why people use certain words and what their particular meanings are in local contexts.
Older speakers often use more traditional Sundanese vocabulary, while younger speakers often use simplified, modernized, or Indonesian-influenced words. This can be seen as a form of lexical substitution, where another word replaces one word without structural similarity.
For example, to express “child” older speakers usually use “putra” a more formal or traditional term. However, younger speakers prefer the more neutral word “anak” which is a lower level Sundanese word or a loan from Indonesian. Similarly, the word for “sleep” also differs, with “kulem” used by older speakers and ‘bobo’ by the younger generation – “bobo” being more colloquial and more intended for children.
Conclusion
Sundanese language in Cigugur village shows intergenerational differences in three ways: word sounds (phonology) such as “henteu” becomes teu”, word forms (morphology) such as “beri” becomes “méré”, and word choices (lexical) such as ‘kulem’ replaced by “bobo. These changes show that young people tend to use shorter and easier forms than older people.
Written by: Raka Mulyana
